That’s the message a London Liberal MP gave city politicians and bureaucrats in a closed-door meeting Wednesday amid a backlash over the proposed rapid transit system, which is dependent on federal funding.

Gathering more public feedback — particularly from downtown businesses fearful over the planned routes — may delay final council approval, but that won’t imperil Ottawa’s funding, Peter Fragiskatos told them.

“I walked away feeling a lot better about where we stand,” said Coun. Tanya Park, whose ward includes downtown — the heart of the ­transit proposal and opposition to it.

“We can take a deep breath as a community about where we move forward.”

The fine details of the $560-­million bus rapid transit plan’s routes have become clearer in recent weeks, sparking concern among core merchants who fear the construction upheaval — and the permanent changes to follow — may kill their businesses.

Council is set to vote in early April on whether to consider alternate routes and whether to hold a public input meeting, steps that could delay final route approval until June. The decision was first expected this month.

Fragiskatos says such a delay wouldn’t be an issue from Ottawa’s perspective.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” he said. “It shows that the city is taking the time to do this right, taking the time to hear people out and that needs to happen.

“It’s never going to be the case that unanimous support for this project or any infrastructure project is possible. There’s always going to be some form of opposition. But you can hear people out.”

Wednesday’s sit-down, called by Fragiskatos, comes amid backlash against city hall’s BRT plan — specifically, the amount of public consultation. While city officials say more than 10,000 people have been consulted, many business owners say they only started understanding the routes’ details last month.

A group of businesses has formed, dubbed Down Shift, in a play on the BRT project’s name, Shift. Their concerns clearly have been heard at city hall.

Fragiskatos, too, says he has met with businesses to hear their concerns, but remains committed to BRT.

“I think rapid transit is essential for the future of London,” he said. “I’m very happy to support a robust consultation, because it needs to take place.”

The routes will be decided by council, not the federal government. The business case council approved last spring calls for L- and 7-shaped BRT corridors bisecting London, with the downtown intersection of King and Clarence streets as the hub.

Trouble has flared up in a few spots:

• King Street, outside Budweiser Gardens and Covent Garden Market, which would be reduced to one vehicle lane to accommodate curb-running east and west lanes for buses only.

• Richmond Row, which will not be touched but is adjacent to the south portal of a 900-metre tunnel at the northern tip of Clarence Street near the Victoria Park bandshell.

• A stretch of Richmond Street north of Oxford Street to the Western University gates, which will house the tunnel’s north portal and exclusive BRT lanes.

A working group comprised of city politicians and London Transit leaders last week called for staff to propose alternative routes along the L and 7 lines. Council must still approve taking that step.

While it’s hard to see council making major route changes, it is possible, and that would require an overhaul of the business case and its resubmission to the federal and provincial governments, staff say.

Said Mayor Matt Brown: “We can only benefit from an additional round of public engagement. We know we’ve got time to do this.”